Thank God It’s Monday. Retrain Your Brain.

My top 10 tips on how I broke the vicious cycle of TGIF

I do not have to tell you, that whoever coined that phrase, must have really hated all other days of the weeks. What a miserable soul. But at least he or she was grateful for Friday, only to start their miserable life back on Monday.

In fact, TGI Fridays, a worldwide franchise of American chain restaurants earns billions of dollars in business with this phrase. Founded in 1953, it’s based on being a place to chill out, have a few beers before the Monday blues begin all over again.

So how did I beat the Thank God It’s Friday Syndrome? I will give you my 10 top tips right here, but before I do that, I must explain that using these tips will not eradicate the Monday blues overnight. However, you can certainly fast track your progress should you decide to follow what I recommend.

Developing a new mindset

Of course not. People whom you think are successful in their work also think differently.

Friday evening

Now, you have the next two days to roam the countryside, paint the town red, let off some steam and run wild until Monday. Then you must come back to your self-made prison for the next five days. On average, you will spend 25 to 30 years of your life working so don’t make it miserable.

There was a time when every Monday I felt miserable just like a lot of other people. My wife and kids used to get the brunt of it.Even as I am writing this blog I am picturing myself driving to work on Monday mornings in my red Austin Montego, whingeing and moaning to my wife. ‘I don’t want to go to work today’.

In the beginning she tried to comfort my troubled emotions but after a while, she began to ignore me, knowing that this was becoming a regular pattern. She must have thought I am like a big kid who does not want to go to school and looking for any reason to bunk off. She told me to just get over it! Looking back, rightly so.

Now I am not saying this scenario it is entirely your fault… because it’s not. It is a combination of our education or lack of (at least in matters of personal development and entrepreneurship), the way we were brought up and our educational institutions. By the way, most of our parents come from the same TGIF culture so it is not their fault either. It is a vicious, vicious cycle!

Logical approach

My approach was plain and simple. I started looking at it logically. I just decided to think differently and not long after, the Monday blues disappeared.
So, if you decide to take my tips on board, it should work for you too. And yes, you can re-train your brain to think in a different way.

My top 10 tips

Weekdays are names, just like the months in the year. The days themselves do not know what order they come in.

Humans have labelled the days and months with no prior intentions of Monday being the worst or Friday the best. I know some people are superstitious about certain days of the week but my top tips can help them too.

The birds, beast and plant life do not know the names of the days, years or cannot even tell the time. Their existence is governed by the seasons, and they thrive and survive accordingly. No wonder the animals, birds and, fishes migrate across continents through air, land, and sea without a GPS. Just knowing the season. Amazing is it not?

Days of the weeks and months of the year are just guidelines to plan human activities so we can maintain order and get things done. We do not necessarily have to look at a watch to eat food. We eat because we feel hungry, sometimes several times a day. Some even in the middle of night sneak a bar of chocolate from their bedside cabinet ☺.

Do not listen to people who are in the habit of whining and complaining about the slightest thing. Actually when your colleagues do whine on a Monday and say to you ‘the weekend was great, but it went so quickly’, just smile back and say, ‘Isn’t today a beautiful day?’.

Plan your week with a view of getting things done each day rather than ‘how can I get through till Thursday?’. Admire the achievement of each day.

To be employed is a blessing because it is a source of income to support yourself and your family. It is also a place to express your knowledge and creativity and help others. Embrace being at work regardless of what day it is.

Find the joy in your work even though you might think it is a dead-end job. In fact, all tasks can be considered dead-end but it’s about how you think about it. The old saying that you get out what you put in really does ring true here.

You are not the person defined by your job title. The job is what you do. Focus on your inner person and appreciate what you have in life. Whether your post ranks from low or high in the hierarchy system, it does not matter. I say again – You are not your job title. You get paid for working. Be the best you can at your work and feel proud of your accomplishments. Do it well, to please yourself, not just your boss.

Think, reflect, and practice all the above and by the time you have read this you will start to notice the difference in your thinking. You know it makes sense.

So what should you do now?

This is just an introduction of how to change your mindset. Training your brain isn’t easy but it can be done. It might need some effort and dedication but following these tips will make it all worthwhile. Like I say in number 8, you really do get out of life what you put into it.

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2 thoughts on “Thank God It’s Monday. Retrain Your Brain.”

You have made the 10 points very simple and clear to make one’s mind accept to live a work week with joy and productivity. However, if one wants to live that happy week lifestyle must find one’s passion and work in it. Then it’ll no longer be work but expressing one’s heart and desire in who they are. 😊